The company also hopes the $6 billion program, dubbed “,”
will substantially boost its bottom line by fostering the growth of GE
Healthcare. GE’s priorities include expanding , lowering the
cost of health care equipment and promoting consumer-driven health care. Another piece of the initiative involves improving the health of GE’s 300,000
employees. The company will try to keep its health care costs below the rate of
inflation by transforming its 175 health centers into “wellness clinics,”
offering incentives for prevention, providing workers with personal health
records and banning smoking at its facilities. The effort is modeled on GE’s “ecomagination,” a program started in 2005 to
put the company at the forefront of environmental technology. It has resulted in
75 new products that are expected to generate $18 billion in revenue this year.
The size and scope of the company will allow GE to make an impact on health
care in the same way it has on the environment, according to GE chairman and CEO
Jeff Immelt. “At the cornerstone are technology and investment—things GE can do,” Immelt
told an audience at the Newseum, a media museum a few blocks from Congress.
During his presentation, he showed pictures of ultrasounds, CT scanners,
infant warmers and electronic medical records that he said are examples of
cutting-edge equipment that GE will make at a range of prices, including levels
affordable in low-income areas.